Campbell (Argyll)
Campbell (Argyll)
| Coat of Arms |
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| Clan Crest |
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| Crest: | A boar's head, fesswise, couped, Or |
| Motto: | Ne obliviscaris |
| Translation: | Forget not |
| Plant: | Bog myrtle, Fir club moss |
| Gaelic name: | Caimbeul |
| Origin of name: | Wry-mouth |
| Pipe music: | Baile Ionaraora (The Campbells are coming) |
| War cry: | Cruachan |
Campbell (Argyll) History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
This name appears to derive from the Gaelic Cam Beul meaning Wry Mouth, while those who bear it are called Clan Diarmaid as the supposed descendants of the handsome Ossianic hero with whom the wife of Fingal fell in love. Such is the legendary origins of a clan that was already of considerable consequence in the lands of the earliest Scottish kingdom of Dalriada by the time these had evolved into Lorne and Argyll. The support which their chief Sir Colin Campbell of Loch Awe and his two sons gave to Robert Bruce was rewarded by a marriage with King Robert's sister, and the Campbells began their rise to supremacy in the Highlands by assisting in the downfall of Bruce's opponents. From this time their chiefs were named as the descendants of Sir Colin of Loch Awe, Mac Chailein Mor, Great Son of Colin.
At this time their stronghold was a castle called Innis Chonaill. Its ruins still stand under the peaks of Cruachan Beann, the Haunch of Hills that provided the Campbells with their war cry. But Colin Campbell, 1st Earl of Argyll, moved his headquarters to Inveraray which he founded in 1474. He was created Master of the Royal Household and Lord Chancellor. The 8th Earl (1598-1661) was created 1st Marquess of Argyll and raised his name and clan to its highest pinnacle of power as leader of the Covenanters who defended Calvinism. When Montrose arrived in Scotland in 1644 with the King's commission to retrieve the broken loyalist cause, the victims of the Campbells rallied behind him, ravaging Argyll as far as Inveraray. Fortune returned to the family in 1688 when the Catholic King James VII lost his throne to William of Orange. The 10th Earl was raised to a dukedom and the family estates were restored to him.
Archibald, the 3rd Duke of Argyll (1682-1761), known as the King of Scotland, built the new castle at Inveraray. The design by Roger Morris was based on a plan sketched by Vanbrugh, while the classical interiors were the achievement of Robert Mylne. The dormers and turret roofs were added in the 19th century. The castle was seriously damaged by fire in 1976, later restored and opened to the public.
Campbell (Argyll) Tartans
| Tartan | Image |
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| Campbell of Argyll Modern Tartan |
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| Campbell of Argyll Ancient Tartan |
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| Campbell of Argyll Weathered Tartan |
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